Share the Trails: National Trail Day hosted by ACRES

ACRES Land Trust invites the public to launch summer with a fun, engaging hike celebrating the American Hiking Society’s National Trails Day. On Saturday, June 4, 10 am – noon, ACRES hosts a guided hike through Wing Haven nature preserve near Angola, Ind., while hundreds of thousands of individuals converge at parks, forests, and trails all across the country.

Wing Haven, a 254.8-acre nature preserve, features glacially carved kettle-hole lakes, bordered by a wetland fen system. In secluded areas, Sandhill cranes have established nests. Rolling meadows and surrounding uplands covered in an oak, hickory and red maple forest offer visitors a scenic hike through land that is protected forever by the local land trust’s members.

Hundred-year-old log buildings on the preserve serve as the caretaker residence and occasional event space for the nonprofit. The building are also reminders of the preserve’s former owners who donated the land to ACRES for preservation.

Wing Haven was once home to Helen Swenson and her husband Ben, who ran Wing Haven Resort, “a sanctuary for birds” from 1948-1972. Prior to running the resort, the Swensons were innkeepers at Pokagon State Park’s Potawatomi Inn. Helen was a graphic design artist, who studied at the Chicago Art Institute, a naturalist and an avid birder. The Swensons had the log buildings moved to the land for use as their home and as an art studio for Helen.

ACRES welcomes visitors to experience the great outdoors with neighbors, friends and family:

Now in its 24th consecutive year, National Trails Day provides fun opportunities for the public to have a summer adventure of their own on nearby trails. Founded in 1976, American Hiking Society is the only national, recreation-based nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s hiking trails, their surrounding natural areas and the hiking experience.

Together with its members, ACRES preserves 5,924 acres of significant natural area in northeast Indiana, northwest Ohio and southern Michigan forever. Explore more than 70 miles of trails for hiking, photography, birding, wellness, family and school visits, and adventure. Connect with ACRES Land Trust at 260-637-2273, acreslandtrust.orgor on Facebook atwww.facebook.com/ACRES.LT.